The use of swaged lighting holes in structural parts is common in order to achieve an increase of stiffness without increasing the weight and with a minimum cost.
The processes for making swaged lighting holes on sheet metal are common in industry and achieve the desired deformation of the sheet by means of its plastic deformation.
In the case of composite parts formed with stiff continuous fibers, however the mechanism allowing the adaptation to the desired shape of the swaged lighting hole is based on the relative slippage of fibers.
In parts made with composites, the traditional process for making swaged lighting holes consists of manually laminating each layer, adapting it to the geometry of the swaged lighting hole. This process is expensive, since it is completely manual and requires the use of materials that can adapt to the complex geometry of the swaged lighting hole without forming wrinkles. The most adaptable type of material is fabric, which, compared with the tape, is more expensive and has worse structural properties.